A composite interior component known in the prior art includes a first member, which has a predetermined joining surface, and a second member, which is arranged on the first member and formed from an elastically deformable synthetic resin. The second member includes a plate portion that is substantially parallel to the joining surface of the first member. The plate portion includes a plurality of projections, each projecting toward the joining surface of the first member to define a gap between the plate portion and the joining surface. The composite interior component produces a cushioning effect when the distal portions of the projections of the second member are pressed and elastically deformed by the joining surface of the first member. Patent document 1 describes a multilayer composite component that controls bending directions of the projections to limit variations in the texture of the multilayer composite component when pressed by a finger or a hand.
However, when the prior art multilayer composite component is pressed with a finger or a hand, the person may feel irregularities because the texture differs from one location to another due to the following reason. More specifically, when a composite component is large and has a complex shape, the mold that forms a projection surface of the second member may be formed by a plurality of separate molds taking into consideration removability of the molds for the second member and maintenance of the molds. In this case, to ensure the strength of the separate molds, it is difficult to arrange projections in the proximity of edges of the separate molds. Thus, vacant portions having no projection are formed in the proximity of a mold separation line, or a parting line, of the separate molds. As a result, an appropriate reaction force and a uniform texture cannot be obtained from a portion of the composite component when pressed by a finger or a hand.
FIGS. 12A and 12B are plan views of a second member 104 taken from projections 102. The second member 104 includes a plate portion 100 and the projections 102, which are located on the plate portion 100. The projections 102, which have the same shape, are each inclined in the direction of the corresponding arrow shown in FIG. 12B. The projections 102 are arranged on each side of an equilateral hexagonal lattice pattern 106, which is indicated by double-dashed lines and has a honeycomb shape, and alternately directed in opposite directions. In this structure, when a load is applied to the plate portion 100 in a direction orthogonal to the plate portion 100, each projection 102 is bent as indicated by the oblique lines in FIG. 12B. The consequent reaction force allows the composite component to obtain a substantially uniform texture. However, when the separate molds are used to form a composite component, the projections 102 are excluded from the proximity of a mold separation line L of the separate molds to ensure the strength of the separate molds. Thus, the appropriate reaction force cannot be obtained. In this regard, a pressing piece is orthogonally pressed from the plate portion 100 against a reverse side of the second member 104 to determine characteristics of the reaction force in points A, B shown in FIG. 12A. The pressing piece has a circular end, the diameter of which is 14 mm. FIG. 13 shows the result indicating that the reaction force difference Δf between the point A and the point B is 8 N or larger when the stroke of the pressing piece is 2 mm. FIG. 12A includes hatching portions, each of which is a region that is pressed by the pressing piece with the diameter of 14 mm, indicating the size corresponding to a human fingertip.